Push for gambling legalization losing steam at Texas Capitol
HOUSTON - With exactly 60 days left in the Texas Legislative Session odds of casino and online betting gaining lawmaker approval have gone from "even money" to a "long shot".
The big blow came from Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, leader of the Texas Senate, who announced on a Lubbock talk radio that neither measure has the necessary Republican support to pass.
"We don't have the votes in the Senate as we sit here today," said Patrick on Lubbock's KFYO.
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Casino bill sponsor and Houston State Senator Carol Alvarado confirmed that she is still significantly shy of the votes required to get gaming measures through the upper chamber.
"You know I don't give up, I haven't. I have been steadfast on this issue for many sessions, so anything is possible. I think there could be support here, but I think they are waiting to get a signal from someone," said Alvarado.
Rice political analyst Mark Jones says expanding gambling has never been a Patrick priority, however, the Lt. Governor could potentially strike a bargain with counterparts in the Texas House.
"We could envision a scenario whereby school choice is being blocked by the House and one of the ways Lt. Governor Patrick could unblock it is by allowing Casino gambling to pass," said Jones.
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Jones believes most evangelicals would accept casino and online gambling legalization in exchange for state-funded vouchers.
"If what they get is school choice. They (evangelicals) are happy to take that deal," said Jones.